reading and writing about why we work

September 2012

09/29/2012

Remember to write down author and text titles at the front of each excerpt (you can find that info in the box at the end). And remember, too, that we are looking for passages that will help us talk about why we work. As we did for Gig this week--pairing reasons with interviews--we wish to do with Lines of Work.

Write:

1200 Word Draft

This means you will have to revise and expand the paragraphs you have and add some more. Twelve hundred words is the goal. Anything over 1000 is fine. Anything less will not receive full credit and will signal you are a bit behind on the project.

The first scene in Groundhog Day
celebrates the importance of having fun at work. Despite the cynicism he voices
later in the scene, Phil at first appears as a creative, sarcastic, and funny
weatherman who makes fun of himself and the techniques of local news. Joking
about pine trees and weather patterns, Phil culminates his report by shouting
about “this big blue thing” that is coming our way. By poking fun at the
technology of television news, Phil reveals his bitterness about his work, but
his humor suggests he can still see some of the fun of what he does. Later in
the scene we see Rita playing against the blue screen backdrop. As the film
shifts its perspective to a lens within a lens, Rita appears in a camera shot
within a camera shot, and we are reminded by Phil’s grudging smile that our
work can and should be fun. Desmond Grant, a travelling salesman interviewed in
Gig, does not share Phil’s reluctance to have fun. Grant goes so far as to say
that he loves traveling for work exactly because of the fun things he gets to
do when he is done working in the towns he visits. Work for Grant the traveling
salesman and Rita, the television producer is a “Great time” where they can
make money while having fun (162).

Wednesday, October 3 / Thursday October 4

Read:

Gig: Food

Read six interviews total. These four and then two of your own choice:

Poultry Factory Worker

Diet Center Owner

Produce Stand Owner

Food Stylist

Write:

Type up and revise your resume. Print it out and bring a copy to class.

Read these four required ones and add at least two of your own. As you read, make a list of reasons why each person works--these reasons can then later help you connect our readings to your papers and in-class discussions:

I recommend working on the TS and film details / explanations for as many body paragraphs as you can; then you can work to add readings to your paragraphs in future drafts.

Here is a sample first draft of a paragraph without a reading integrated into it. You will recognize it as cleaned up version of what I shared in class.

The first scene in Groundhog Day celebrates the importance of having fun at work. Despite the cynicism he voices later in the scene, Phil at first appears as a creative, sarcastic, and funny weatherman who makes fun of himself and the idiosyncracies of local news. Joking about pine trees and weather patterns, Phil culminates his report by shouting about “this big blue thing” (a cold weather front) that is coming our way. By poking fun at the visual techniques of TV news, Phil reveals his bitterness about his work, but his humor suggests he can still see some of the fun of what he does. Later in the scene we see Rita playing against the blue screen backdrop; as the film shifts its perspective to a lens within a lens, a camera shot within a camera shot, we are reminded by Phil’s grudging smile that our work can and should be fun.

I recommend drafting partial paragraphs like this for our next class meeting. Then you can work on expanding your draft by adding readings and revising your existing TS and details / explanation for our next draft.

Remember: do not bother printing this out; I will give you a hardcopy in class. Please only read pages 42-54

Write:

Final Draft of Essay 1 / Bring Your Final Printed Out To Class for Proofreading(M/W Class will have until Wednesday to turn in paper for grading; Tu/Th classes will have up to 24 hours after class to email the final draft of their essay they wish me to grade.

And here is a full-length sample essay--complete with a correctly formatted works cited page for you to use as a guide:
Download Essay1sample

Wednesday September 19 / Thursday September 20

Read / View

Office Space: As you watch the film, find scenes that you believe comment on why we do / should work. After viewing the whole film, return to watch those key scenes (four of them) a second time and take notes on them.

09/10/2012

The positive feedback I have received from customers who come into the Yellow Basket restaurant gives me hope that I have the ability to get another job involving customer service and people. The positive attitude from some of the regulars that come in every week helps me get through some of the grueling shifts in the outdated and drab restaurant. The dining room which is stuffed full of fake and dust-ridden artificial flowers surrounding the seats and a floral glass sunroof covering the ceiling puts a damper on every shift I work. The unsightly decor makes the restaurant feel drab. The grease infested, pore clogging air gives me no hope of ever finding a new job somewhere else. The thick air inside smothers my once thought bright future I was going to have. Like it is going to keep me inside, never letting me escape and trapping me in like the seventy-two year old manager that has been working there for twenty years. But despite the design and the grease, the customers motivate me to continue being a hard working employee.. They remind me that the hard work I put into my minimum wage job with soon pay off when I go job hunting in the future. I know I am more than capable to earn a living outside of Yellow Basket and have a career doing something I love.
The experiences Yellow Basket has given me an eye opening look into the unappealing work and environment in the food industry. The bitter attitude of the diner's management completely baffles me and makes me wonder why I still continue to suffer in the run down grease filled restaurant. Because of this problem, there is a high turnover rate at Yellow Basket just like Jason Groth writes "Most quit by the third day" (qtd. in Gig 19). I have the ability to work in a much classier conditions yet I continue to hit my head against the wall year after year…for three years now. Although people flock to the restaurant to scarf down the diabetes-ridden pastrami sandwiches and fried zucchini drowned in calorific ranch, every employee is unhappy in the position they are at, making it tough to keep a smile on your face and please the hungry customers. Surrounded by fancy restaurants filled with rich people, naturally Yellow Basket caters to people who are low income and less than classy. The lousy tips we receive at the end of the shift makes the employees not want to check up on the customers to see if they need refills on their drinks or any extra food items. The masculine looking uniforms of short-sleeve white button up shirts with ties does not excite all the female servers that work at Yellow Basket. The main hiring manager is a creep who only hires good-looking ladies, no boys. The men work in the back as cooks or dishwashers or busboys. If that doesn't tell you anything about the degrading work experience at this place, I don't know what does!
Even though I slave over the ridiculous work in the fast food restaurant, working for the place has helped me continue my daily work for a greater goal of earning an income. The money has motivated me to suck it up when I feel pushed the edge and want to submit my two weeks notice so I can get out of the hell hole. Despite being a minimum wage job, with no benefits, I have realized it is still money in my pocket to pay for bills. Similar to the situation I am in currently, Clyde a man working as a bellboy at a hotel is working his job to be able to live freely and recognizes "For now, all at once, he saw economic independence ahead for himself […]" (qtd. in Lapham 38). The sad pay still pushes me to come in to every new shift even though we are disrespected by the cooks and the managers . The uncalled for actions of these employees maddens me and makes me ponder what horrible events in their lives have made them want to lash out on the innocent female servers. It is probably because they are sick of the crappy low wage job they are stuck with as adults, unlike a majority of the teenage servers with many dreams and ambitions for the future of which do not include flipping burgers or making the weekly schedule for all the workers. Without the money continually coming in, I would not be able to put gas in my car to drive to my classes in college an hour away. Also, my education and future depends on this job to pay off my debt of the books and courses I am taking at MiraCosta College. My education will take me further in life than the employees at Yellow Basket will ever be.

09/08/2012

My job is a jazz
musician, which has me perform, practice, jamming, and improvising. Performing
music is one of the most satisfying but nerve-racking parts of being a
musician. The most satisfying is sharing a stage with some of the top musicians
in the world and particularly from L.A., however the scariest part is the crowd
and knowing that any mistake will be heard and especially soloing can be one of
the most intense situations. Practicing is great because I can actually notice
the progress I make and it feels good accomplishing something in an hour
practice session. Jam sessions are sometimes great, but it all depends on the
crowd if the crowd is full of intimidatingly good musicians then it might be
again nerve-raking situation but if it’s a group of old people its cool because
they really don’t know what’s good or not. Another thing about jam sessions is
that you have to have the song memorized they call out, no one wants to be seen
pulling out a book of songs. Improvising is a great aspect of playing jazz
because it’s like composing on the spot and it’s one of those things that’s
really in the moment. It gives you chance to show off how much you know too.

Remember to underline key passages from each reading. Look for ideas that will help you discuss why we do/should work.

Write:

Draft #3: 1300 Words Minimum / Bring a printed out copy to class.

Step 1: Add you work description paragraph (the one that you posted to your blog) and then add the 800 words of body paragraphs you submitted last week.

Step 2: Revise and expand what you have based on our class discussions and my feedback. Consider adding to existing paragraphs with more vivid details or well introduced and applied references to course reading. Try clarifying the reasons in your topic sentences--like we worked on in class--and perhaps adding another paragraph focused on a reason you have not yet discussed. Generally, four body paragraphs is a good goal. But some folks can move past the minimum word limit with only three. Do remember, however, that the minimum word limit is just that--a minimum; most good and excellent essays cross the 1500 word or more mark.

Step 3: Add a conclusion to your essay. In your conclusion, do not spend more than 1 or 2 sentences summarizing what you have already said. The bulk of your conclusion--80% or more should focus on your future. How can you apply these reasons for working that you have been discussing to your own future? What kind of work do you need to look and prepare for now? What kind of life are you imagining for yourself if you find the kind of work that will address your reasons for working in the coming years and decades? Be creative and personal here.

09/06/2012

One of the reasons I work at the Breakfast Club Diner is to meet locals. The motto of the restaurant is actually “where locals eat” so that just goes to show right there. Knowing some of the locals in my area is actually pretty cool, on estimate I would say I meet at least five new locals everyday. Majority of the locals come at least once or twice a week, the way that they all get treated is obviously very well because it drives these customers to keep coming back. The manager at my restaurant is on a name to name basis with probably around half of our customers so it makes them feel very comfortable and almost like family when they come in. I do very much enjoy meeting locals, I find it personally intriguing to meet new people so this perk in my job is quite the benefit for such a people person like myself. I work at the Breakfast Club Diner so I can have a lot of coworkers to make the work days more bearable. Everyone who works at this diner has several tasks to do and stress can easily build up, but with coworkers you have people to help you with a job, or help to get yourself into a good mood. Coworkers can make or break your working experience and mine definitely make it because if they weren’t there I don’t think I could stay sane in this workplace. When you are a coworker it is always good to be friendly and helpful, those are probably the top two ways to act in a cooperating workplace.

I work in a toy store. I have been working there for a little over a year now, and I started last summer. I initially started working because I just wanted a summer job so that I could save money before college. There is a lot of responsibility that comes a long with it. My tasks vary from being on register, stocking the store, greeting guests, helping people find what they need, and also cleaning the store and making it look tidy. I have to make sure I am giving people great customer service at all times.There are some people I really do enjoy talking about and getting to know, this one day I was a greeter and I talked to this 13-year-old kid for an hour about toys. It was probably the best hour working there. When I'm in a good mood, I truly love to put a smile on someone's face and to know that I made their day. When I re-stock the store, I have a responsibility of stocking a certain section of the store, and if I don't manage my time correctly I will never get it done. I feel like I have a very easy advantage with talking to people, because I really love to talk. There's people I've met and talked to for a good amount of time and now I see them often come into the store. I have a huge product knowledge about our merchandise, and it's so easy to talk to kids about what they're looking for. I love to surprise people with my knowledge of what I thought was completely useless until this job. Other than dealing with guests, I work with all sorts of people. There's a lot to know about working in the store besides using the cash register.

Seeing a dead body let alonetouching one, was not something I thought about doing in my 20’s. I guess youcan say that it’s not the typical job for someone my age. I work as a CNA,which is a Certified Nursing Assistant at a Dementia facility. This job can bevery stressful at times, especially the shift that I work from 2:30pm to11:00pm. A simple full moon can make my night go from good to horrible. As soonas that beautiful sun that everyone loves starts setting it begins to change aperson’s behavior; this is called “sun downing” and it is very common amongdementia patients. The people that Ihave to deal with can range from a little of dementia to a person who just isnot themselves anymore. As my shift begins, the first thing I need I do is roomchecks to make sure who is up and who isn’t, so we can figure out where peopleare, and who is out ambulating the building. Even though they have dementia,patients are still able to engage with other patients. After room checks, ifnecessary patients do get toileted and showered if on the schedule. At 5pm,dinner starts which is the most chaotic time of the shift. Our job title fromCNA changes to servers, hostess and we also buss the tables. After dinner, weget them ready for bed. During this task, there is a possibility of gettingyelled at or hit, because patients don’t really know what is going on. Evenexplaining the procedure doesn’t really help the situation. When 10pm comesaround, we couldn’t be any happier. One last room check is in order to makesure no one is missing. After an overwhelming and exhausting day it’s nice tosmell that fresh air on the drive back home.